Fergus Folan
Brand Identity & E-Commerce for Ceramic Guitar Slides
Full brand identity and e-commerce website for Fergus Folan, a blues guitarist who handcrafts ceramic guitar slides. This project required building a brand that bridged two worlds, music and ceramics. I designed the logo, built the Wix e-commerce site, organized approximately 100 one-of-a-kind slides with individual product names and photography, and produced video content showing the craft process. The brand needed to speak to guitarists while honoring the artisanal quality of each piece.
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The Challenge
Fergus had a growing collection of handmade ceramic guitar slides but no way to sell them online. Each piece is unique, with different glazes, dimensions, and tonal qualities, so a traditional product grid wouldn't work. He needed a brand identity that positioned his slides as artisanal instruments, not cheap accessories, and an e-commerce experience that could showcase ~100 one-of-a-kind items.
Research & Discovery
Spent time with Fergus in his studio understanding the relationship between clay, glaze, and tonal quality. Each slide sounds different based on its material and shape, which informed how I wrote product descriptions
Researched the guitar slide market and found that most competitors sell mass-produced glass or metal slides, so Fergus's handmade ceramic slides occupied a completely uncontested niche
Talked to blues guitarists about how they shop for gear, and they trust video demonstrations and word-of-mouth from other players over product descriptions
Design Strategy
Fergus's audience is niche but passionate: blues and slide guitar players who care about tone and craftsmanship. The brand leans into authenticity over polish. The video content strategy was deliberate: a 30-second clip of someone playing a ceramic slide converts better than any product description. The e-commerce platform enables Fergus to scale beyond local sales and guitar shows to reach players worldwide.
Design Decisions
Built on Wix instead of Squarespace because Fergus needed a platform he could update himself, and Wix's product management UX was more intuitive for someone managing 100+ unique items
Designed a custom monogram rather than a wordmark because the 'ff' symbol works at small sizes on packaging and product labels where a full logo wouldn't
Invested in video content early because guitarists want to hear and see a slide before buying, so demonstration videos became the primary conversion driver
Named each slide individually rather than using generic SKUs, treating each piece as named art reinforced the handmade positioning
Results & Impact
- Fully branded online store converting Fergus from word-of-mouth sales to a scalable e-commerce operation
- Complete product catalog with individual photography, naming, and descriptions for ~100 slides
- Video content library connecting customers to the craft process behind each piece
- Manageable backend system allowing Fergus to add new slides as he produces them
Tools & Platform
Deliverables
Brand Identity & Custom Monogram
Wix E-Commerce Website
Product Photography
Video Production